Annual Events and Forums

The Centre holds events each year to support the sector, carers, and young people who are in or have been in out-of-home care in Victoria.

OPEN Symposium

The annual OPEN (Outcomes Practice Evidence Network) Symposium was held on Wednesday 10 October 2018 at the Arts Centre in Melbourne.

Under this year’s themeConnecting the Dots: Better Outcomes for Children and Families participants were able to engage with the best and most recent developments in evidence-informed practice across the sector. It was an opportunity to network, share and hear inspiring keynotes and insightful presentations from across the child and family services, both in Victoria and internationally.

Resi Rocks

In 2018, the Centre held the 12th Resi Rocks. With this year’s theme Making a Difference: Innovative Ways to Improve Outcomes for Young People, over 400 people attended to celebrate the outstanding contribution that Residential Care Workers make in Victoria.

Resi Rocks provides an annual opportunity to bring together residential care workers from across the state as a professional group to promote and cultivate a culture of learning and innovation, sharing knowledge, ideas and practice excellence.

Debutante Ball

The Centre is very proud to be the home of the Deb Ball for young people in out of home care. In 2017, we had 38 young participants and 450 attendees on the big night. The young people, aged between 16 and 25, spent 10 weeks completing dance lessons in the lead-up to the ball, and impressed attendees with their moves on the night.

After the 2017 Deb Ball, the Victorian Government announced ongoing funding so that we can hold the ball annually for young people who are currently in, or have been in, out of home care. The Deb ball will be held again in 2019. Sign up to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook or Twitter to stay in the loop.